Delhiites support odd-even plan, share ride

New Delhi, Jan 1 (IANS) A number of Delhiites willingly opted to share their car, cab ride on Friday, the first day of the Delhi government’s implementation of odd-even traffic regulation scheme to curb rising pollution.

A number of commuters IANS spoke to said they happily shared their ride. According to the odd-even scheme, odd- and even-numbered four-wheelers will ply on Delhi’s road on alternate dates.

Vanaja S. told IANS: “I shared an auto with two of my colleagues to work from Dwarka. To my surprise, Delhi roads were traffic free.”

“Many of us are thrilled to share a vehicle and come to the office even if it’s just for 15 days,” she added.

The response was similar in several government offices and many workers were thrilled to share a vehicle with their colleagues to reach their workplace.

“It was a bit like a picnic as it was fun to travel with my colleagues chatting,” said Janaki Ram, another office-goer who travels to Connaught Place for work.

A senior official of the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) told IANS: “My car is odd numbered, so today I drove the vehicle with a few other colleagues. But I will make alternative arrangements on even numbered dates.”

“It is a bit exhausting, but I think we can manage to comply by the rules for two weeks,” the official said.

Gyanendra, a dentist at Maulana Azad Institute of Medical Sciences, said: “I think it is a good step to check pollution in Delhi. We should not term the initiative unsuccessful even before it starts.”

People opted for different modes of transport such as Metro and/or buses to reach their destination.

Central government employee S.B. Shashank said: “My office is just half a kilometre from my house, so I might as well cycle to office tomorrow.”

However, Anil Arora of Ganga Ram Hospital said doctors should be exempted from this policy. Doctors often have to attend to emergencies and cannot wait for odd and even numbered cars to take them.

“Doctors should be exempted because during emergencies we have to reach on time and there could be a medico-legal case if we reach late,” he said.

Lawyer Rajiv Khosla too wanted lawyers to be exempted. He said that despite appealing to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal thrice to exempt lawyers from the odd-even car policy, they have not been provided any relief.